Erie Railroad Biography - Nicholas H. Maybee


Nicholas H. Maybee

NICHOLAS H. MAYBEE, Corry, Pennsylvania.
Nicholas H. Maybee is one of the "old guard," one of the men who have been with the road since the time of its construction. He was born in Ashford, Cattaraugus County, New York, June 9, 1837, and began his active career at the age of 14 as a driver for contractors on the construction work of the Erie between Great Valley and Little Valley, New York. He remained with them until the road was completed, and after hauling the tools away used the same team to draw the ties to their places. When trains were started running on the new road Mr. Maybee secured a position as brakeman and for a year ran on gravel train, and then on freight between Olean and Dunkirk. In December, 1862, he went to Leavittsburg, Ohio, as brakeman, and in 1863 was promoted to yardmaster, being the first man to hold that position at Leavittsburg. He remained there until the summer of 1865, when he went to Meadville as fireman on old No. 12 engine, and on December 22, 1868, he was promoted to engineer. Mr. Maybee then ran freight until the spring of 1875 when he was hurt by falling off the engine at Salamanca. This injury laid him up for about a year, when he returned to work. In 1879 he went to Corry and ran a switch engine there until 1886, when he returned to road service, and is now on Nos. 37 and 38 between Corry and Salamanca.

Mr. Maybee has been in one collision, but was fortunate enough to escape injury. On April 26, 1873, he had a car break and run into the bridge at Saw Mill Run, putting five cars into the creek and knocking the bridge down.

On December 22, 1859, Mr. Maybee was married to Miss Abbie E. Dow, of Hinsdale, New York, and two children have been born to them. Josephine, who was 29 years of age at death, was the wife of W. E. Reeves; Harmon P., aged 36, is an engineer on the Meadville Division, east. Mr. Maybee is a member of B. of L.E., Division No. 43; Corry Lodge, No. 470, K. of P., and Washington Lodge, No. 2, A.0.U.W., of Corry, and is highly regarded as a citizen of worth and intelligence. His father, Harmon Maybee, a lumberman of Cattaraugus County, New York, is now the oldest living white settler in Salamanca, and lives in the house he built there forty years ago.

Excerpted from: "American Locomotive Engineers, Erie Railway Edition," H.R. Romans Editor; Crawford-Adsit Company Publishers, Chicago, IL 1899.


From the September, 1909 issue of Erie Railroad Magazine, Meadville News:
Nicholas Maybee, a veteran engineer of the Erie and who was retired on a pension under the (70 year) age limit, died at Corry on August 3 (1909).

Back to Erie 1899 Index